Stuck Duck

Inspiration: Artwork by Richard “Pops” Baker

Don’t hang me on the wall of your lounge
Freeze frame frozen in time

I need undiluted freedom
Fierce frenetic flight

I want to swoop and loop
Among my own

Precise and pristine participation
In formation

A sight to behold.

Don’t pin me down

I have magic to make
Joy to create
The songs of my people to emulate.

I don’t want to be
A stuck duck.

Some comments from the selection panel:

“Like the way the internal rhyme creates a syncopated rhythm”

“Really enjoyable poem! Great use of rhyme and alliteration, it’s fun and plays on nostalgia.”

“Fun, great use of sound and form”

The Commuting Book Paint n’ Pen Creative Writing Programme is a collaboration between Christchurch City Libraries, The School For Young Writers, Watch This Space, Evans Taylor Digital and supported by Christchurch City Council’s Enliven Places Projects Fund and Publica